The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-03-20

" etcheS! Are Liberals altogether soou
and Mormons altogether bad? Are
Liberals altogether right and Mormons
altogether wrong?
We fancy it might be shown that the
Mormon people will compare fsvorahly
with their trsducers, Intellectually,
morally and socially.
AS to the intellectual status of the
people, we may refer to the last census,
wherein, as is quite generally known,
Utah occupied an enviable position
being ahead of the general average OF
tn United States, ahead of all the Ter
ritories, and even ahead of parts of New
England, In educational per centage
Beyond the showing of mere figures
there are circumstances in the history
OF the people that are important indica-
ions of their intellectual standard.
Such Ere, the fact that a large per-
centage of recruits are converts from
other sects, from the Church of Eng
land the Lutheran Church, the Pro-
testant and Methodist Episcopal
Churches, the Baptists, etc. We claim
that it requires intellect and much
independence of chara cter for person
to shake off The powerful ties of the
religion of his infancy, to identify him
self Sith a church which on all the
globe is reviled and despitefully used.
1t certainly demands more individuality
for a man TO throw himself on the side
of the Mormons than to join the ranks
of their multitudious enemies. 1t is of
such stuff that the worlds heroes have
been made.
Moreover, it must be tax en- into &C
count, that hundreds of Mormon mis-
sionaries are yearly sent to the four
quarters of the globe. They are travel
ers in the truest and most instructive
method. They do not go round the
world in eighty days, eye-glassing the
palaces,S poking canes through the
masterpieces of the Louvre, and neglect
ing the chief lessons of travel; but they
spend years in their missions, ningling
among the people, speaking their
tongue, and acquiring perfect insight
into their institutions and modes of
thought.
The valuable. correct, information
thus acquired, these men, FURNISHED
by intellectual friction, bring home to
disseminate among their friends, and
what must be the result? Therefore
with people and missionaries from every
cline, it is impossible that Mormons
should be stereotyped in thought or
action
Morally, the people of Utah are Second
to no people on the globe. With 80 per
cent. of the population they furnish Is
per cent. of the criminals. They are
nearly unrepresented among the brewers
and saloon-keepers of the Territory;
they keep no brothels.. We claim, and ".
think noLiberal will dispute the position.
for the true Lib raj cares, or seems to
care little for such trifies, that in mat
tiers of virtue, honesty. truthfulness,
soberness, charity, the Mormon is quite
the equal of the other. In the Mormon
creed, adultery ranks next to the cruel
ixion of the Savior anew in point of
wickedness.
And in a social way. the comparison
is equally favorable. The burning social
questions of the day are the temper
ance, labor, Indian, education and
woman. suffrage questions. The Nor
mon community is to-day the most
temperate people in Christendom
theoretical, they are temperate to the
extent even of prescribing tea and
coffee. On the labor question, their
position is quite as rabid. They have
directly made great advances in co OPP
Grafton, while they entertain as mat
ter of belief, soon to find pract teal
adoption, a closer union of interests, in
which the labor of each man will be
directed for the benefit of all. That the
Mormons will ultimately solve the
problem of community of material
interests, may be seen by those who
realize the exceptionally strong reli-
gious ties of the people. The Mormon
is the best friend the Indian has; the
latter is regarded by the former as
of the seed Of Israel, and his
redemption from savagery is promised
by the Book of Mormon. Nor has the
Mormon failed to illustrate his doctrine
in this respect; the Indian has been
befriended and attempts made to
civilizs him. In the matter of educa-
ton, the Mormons have done simply
wonders, when it is considered how
short has been the time that has
elapsed since they came to this country
as pioneers. The Mormon is also a
woman suffragist.
If it is admitted upon these
questions of private and public
morals the Latter-day Saints are right
wherein do their enemies proclaim them
to be wrong? Their charges go to two
points Mormon unity and Mormon
poiygamy. The first objection, in